Early in World War II, the Mitsubishi A6M Zero was the world’s best carrier- based fighter airplane. It gave the Allies plenty of headaches when they first encountered it over Pacific and Asian skies. Below are some fascinating facts about Japan’s most iconic WWII fighter airplane.

The Mitsubishi A6M Zero

Light and nimble, the Mitsubishi A6M Zero was the first carrier-based fighter that could match and best land-based opponents. It became Japan’s main fighter of WWII. The Zero’s design sacrificed protection for speed, maneuverability, and long range. The logic behind those choices was that superior speed and maneuverability were protections in their own right. The long range was an added bonus.

The A6M Zero came as a shock to Allied pilots when it was first encountered. To their shock, they discovered that the Japanese fighter it could outmaneuver every airplane it faced at the time. A better dog fighter than anything the Allies had at the start of the Pacific War, the Zero’s superior performance, especially in the hands of Japan’s elite naval aviators, far surpassed what the Allies had expected from the Japanese.

Developing Special Tactics to Deal With the Zero

In the war’s early days, Japanese naval aviators in the cockpits of A6M Zeroes achieved a 12:1 kill ratio. It soon became obvious that something different had to be done. Taking on Zeros in a normal dogfight was clearly a losing proposition. To counter the Zero’s advantages, American pilots adopted team work tactics. One such was the “Thach Weave”, which required pilot pairs to work in tandem, flying crisscrossing weaving patterns that allowed each pilot to protect the other’s tail.

Another useful tactic was the “Boom and Zoom”, in which American pilots engaged the Zero only in diving attacks, as the acceleration of their heavier planes in a dive allowed them to flee if the diving attack failed. Although Zeros held considerable advantages in maneuverability and speed, their lack of protection for either the pilot or the fuel tanks proved a steadily mounting disadvantage as the war progressed.

In War, Life Comes at You Fast: From Cutting Edge, to Obsolete

The heavier and more rugged American fighters could absorb considerable punishment from Zeroes, while a single machine gun burst from an American plane could disintegrate a Zero. By 1943, attrition had thinned the ranks of Japan’s elite aviators, and the Japanese Navy’s training pipeline could not produce enough replacements of similar caliber. As a result, there were fewer and fewer Japanese pilots who could get the most out of the Zero’s advantages while minimizing its disadvantages. That was bad news for the Japanese, as the quality of American aviators was increasing due to wartime experience, as well as an extensive training program that produced capable aviators at a rate Japan could not match.

That was exacerbated by the introduction of new American fighters, such as the F4U Corsair and the F6F Hellcat. The new airplanes were significant improvements over their predecessors, and proved more than a match for A6M Zeros, with greater firepower, armor, speed, and similar maneuverability. By 1944 the Zero was obsolescent and rapidly becoming obsolete. Nonetheless, it remained in front line service because the Japanese faced production difficulties in fielding a replacement. From its heyday at war’s beginning when it ruled the skies of the Pacific while flown by elite pilots, A6Ms were reduced by war’s end to flying kamikaze missions under the controls of barely trained novices.

Some Sources and Further Reading

Francillon, Rene J. – Japanese Aircraft of the Pacific War (1970)

History Halls – World War II Fighters: The Soviet Yakovlev Yak-9

Smith, Peter C. – Mitsubishi Zero: Japan’s Legendary Fighter (2014)